Confetti Pattern (Portfolio #2) 1973

Curator: Immediately, the sharp edges and clean delineation of color create an interesting tension against the delicate, scattered quality. Editor: We're looking at Robert Goodnough's "Confetti Pattern (Portfolio #2)," created in 1973 using acrylic paint. Goodnough, associated with second-generation abstract expressionism and color field painting, often explored the interaction between chance and order. Curator: Acrylic, interestingly chosen, really emphasizes the flatness. It's not trying to create an illusion. It is simply, explicitly paint on a surface, creating these little hard-edged chips of color. What would a close examination of the canvas reveal about its making? Editor: Considering Goodnough’s peers at the time, it seems a direct commentary on art’s evolving relationship with its audience in the early 70's. Think about how the proliferation of offset lithography affected printmaking; Goodnough was a participant of "fellowship of workshops" to explore the cultural and artistic values of the industry, making "Confetti Pattern" perhaps an active response to the debates concerning medium and high art. Curator: It does seem as though Goodnough actively chooses his medium to subvert any romanticism surrounding gesture that the original abstract expressionists so proudly celebrated. Here, in 'Confetti Pattern,' the labor is about carefully defined shapes, color choices, precise placement, which is definitely at odds with ideas of art as spontaneous emotional output. The materials are readily available and do not bear a particularly high value of exclusivity or scarcity. Editor: Absolutely. And this pushes us to consider the evolving landscape of art institutions and their function, because in this case, Goodnough's choice is inherently connected to his engagement with contemporary societal norms. A tension surfaces that exists between the democratic possibilities afforded by mass culture versus its alienating properties, as so thoughtfully demonstrated by art critics like Clement Greenberg and other cultural theorists. Curator: I will be thinking about the connection between materiality and meaning a long time after this conversation! Editor: As will I, particularly in reference to this moment within modernism. Thanks!